A vengeful father suspects his mentally disabled daughter has been the victim of sexual abuse and confronts the caregiver he believes to be guilty.

Interview with Director/Producer Emil T. Jonsson

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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I fell in love with this unproduced radio play that my friend wrote. I read it on the subway and for some reason this dark interrogation drama really moved me. It felt like a dreamlike descent into one man’s own madness. But it took me a long time to understand that it was me who was supposed to produce and direct it. This was my first film and so I had to work up the courage to take it on. And I’m happy I did!

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Because you love suspense stories! And you want to be both frightened and surprised. Maybe you are a fan of old Twilight Zone episodes or Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The Best of Intentions (Han som ville henne så väl)

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The universal theme revolves around the conditions of love and revenge. Are our actions rooted in egoism or altruism? Both of the main characters in this film are faced with a similar question: Are they performing their actions based on someone else’s need or are they only satisfying their own personal desire, with the best of intentions?

My own personal theme with this film has to do with feelings of oppression and “wanting to get out”. I wanted to channel the residue feeling of my own childhood into this work, in the look and the style of the film.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

The challenge was always to take something that was clearly written to be heard and not seen, and to transform it to a cinematic experience. The short format (14 minutes) made the plot even more condensed and we had to somehow motivate it with “dream logic”. In dreams a lot of things can happen in a very short timeframe - to maximize the feelings we are trying to resolve. In the editing a lot of dialogue had to be cut in order to move the story along. We had to sacrifice some of the philosophical aspects in order to make streamline it into the most effective thriller that it could be.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

My favorite response was how it reminded one audience member of an old Twilight Zone episode. I adore that series! I also enjoyed how people took opposite sides, between the two main characters, and how the discussions continued even after the screening. One audience member said they spent the whole evening talking about what is right and wrong, when it came to being someone’s guardian/caretaker. The few who didn’t get the film were people expecting something more naturalistic, and thus somewhat less willing to view the film as a dreamlike genre piece, with its own logic.

The Best of Intentions (Han som ville henne så väl)

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Build an interest and have more people see it!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We would love to sell the film or have it be distributed through a specific channel. But the film has had its festival tour and this fall we are planning to release the film on Vimeo. For the online premiere we’d love to drum up interest by doing more articles and reviews.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I’d be happy if the film triggered an interest in the genre: a pressure-cooker chamber piece, that we often see in theatre but less often in film. If the film also sparked more interesting discussions about the above mentioned themes that would be great as well.

The Best of Intentions (Han som ville henne så väl)

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I think one of the main questions is: If the love between the intellectually disabled daughter and her caretaker is genuine and helps her make progress in life, is It still 100% undeniably wrong and does it make the father's quest for revenge more flawed?

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are working on a couple of shorts and a possible web-series. We are also looking into the possibility of a trilogy of twisted challenging shorts in the same vain as The Best of Intentions. Within a couple of years we hope to be moving on to features.

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Director/Producer – Emil is a working screen actor with a background in the theatre. This film is his directorial debut and the film was shown at Gothenburg International Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest and Starz Denver Film festival.

Writer – Björn is a playwright and script consultant, currently developing stories for film whilst having a play performed at the State Theatre in Turkey.

Key cast: Per Ragnar (old man), Emil Tobias Jonsson (young man).

Release date: Online release in 2016. We could get back to you and update the article with a specific date when the film is available for everyone on vimeo.